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How To Overcome Writer’s Block – A Ghostwriter’s Top Tips

Four Ways To Overcome Writer’s Block

It’s always a good plan to schedule in writing time, whether it’s for blog posts, articles or a book.

However, we’ve all been there – even the professionals among us; you’re in the middle of writing something and you just lose your thread and can’t seem to get started again. This happens less for people writing about a subject related to their own business, but it does still happen! How to overcome writer’s block is a question I’m often asked by people who need to write content for their business.

Here are my top tips for people whose creative flow has dried up to a mere trickle, when they need a torrent.

1) Do your planning and research before you start

Having a structure sorted out before you start writing will help to stop this happening. If you know your audience’s pain points and you can use a tool like my article framer (see link below) to work out the important bits of your story and your thread or angle. Because people, be in no doubt we are telling a story, even when it’s a piece of business writing.

2) Take a break

Go for a walk or run around the block or have a shower. Read a non-related book, or listen to some music. I can’t tell you how often I have a creative breakthrough when I’m having a run, taking a shower or generally doing something completely different. OK, so that might at least in part be due to the fact I have small children, but I think there’s more to it than that. Doing something entirely unrelated to the writing task at hand can sometimes give your mind the space it needs to find the solution that you need.

3) Try some mindfulness or meditation

I go to a boxing/yoga class a few times a week and I absolutely love it. It’s the perfect combination of a first half of intensive HIIT cardio and fun boxing/kickboxing combinations and then a second half of yoga with a relaxation exercise at the end. If you’re based anywhere near Leamington Spa, Warwickshire I would highly recommend Su Menon’s amazing Shaktifit classes. shaktifit.co.uk. Although I’m supposed to be chilling out and definitely NOT thinking about work during those final meditative minutes, I have lightbulb moments almost every week during that time.

4) Sleep on it

If all else fails, sleep on it and then come back to it after a day or two. Sometimes a bit of distance can help you to see things clearly again and get back on track.

Writer’s block is a real issue and can strike when you least expect it. I hope you find the strategies above useful in trying to get past the block and get back to writing. If none of them work, is there a way you can re-frame your piece? Would doing some additional research make a difference? There’s always a solution to writing problems. It’s just a matter of trying a few things and finding out what works for you.

I created my Content Structure Buster mini-course to help people to do their research and get a great structure in place before they start writing. Planning out your content before you put pen to paper is a great way to keep on track. You can get hold of the mini-course free of charge, here.

Hope that you have found this blog post useful and if you have a great way to overcome writer’s block, please do share it in the comments.